The invention lies in the field of appliances. The invention relates to a baking oven with a metallic baking oven muffle that can be closed off on the front side by a door. The muffle walls have heating elements for heating the cooking chamber to over approximately 180xc2x0 C. and/or for heating the food to be cooked. The muffle walls have a protective covering layer at least on an inner side.
A baking oven having an enamel-layered oven muffle is generally known. The enamel coating serves to resist both corrosion and oxidation. Furthermore, the layer of enamel makes the baking oven muffle easier to clean and increases the surface hardness. Finally, the enamel determines the optical properties of the baking oven muffle. The enamel has these attributes at layer thicknesses of typically 100 to 200 xcexcm. Drawbacks of such enamel protective layers include, in particular, brittleness. Another drawback is that the tensile and compressive stresses, resulting from the different coefficients of expansion of enamel and muffle material, may lead to component deformation, cracks, or flaking of the enamel.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a baking oven with baking oven muffle that overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type and that improves the use properties of the baking oven muffle.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a baking oven, including a metallic baking oven muffle having a front side and muffle walls defining a cooking chamber and inner sides, a door for closing off the front side of the muffle, heating elements for at least one of heating the cooking chamber to over approximately 180xc2x0 C. and heating food to be cooked, the heating elements disposed at the muffle walls, and a protective layer covering the muffle walls at least on the inner sides, the protective layer being transparent and having a thickness less than approximately 30 xcexcm, the inner sides serving as a reflector.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the protective layer is formed as a hard sol-gel layer.
According to the invention, improvement in the oven""s use properties is achieved by the fact that the thickness of the protective layer is less than approximately 30 xcexcm, in particular, less than 20 xcexcm and, preferably, between approximately 5 and 10 xcexcm. Due to the small layer thickness, only slight stresses occur in the muffle wall. Furthermore, very good thermal conduction from the heating elements or the muffle wall to the interior of the muffle is ensured and the protective layer is relatively unsusceptible to cracks and/or there is little likelihood of flaking. The thin protective layer also constitutes sufficient protection against corrosion and oxidation and gives a hard surface protection for the metal.
In a simple process, thin protective layers of this nature may preferably be produced using a sol-gel technique. As such, the sol-gel layer can be applied to the muffle walls using, for example, a simple dipping process. In particular, with the sol-gel technique, the low firing temperatures of approximately 450 to 500xc2x0 C. are favorable compared to the enameling technique. Also, the sol-gel layers applied are suitable for the temperatures typically used during cooking.
Preferably, the thickness of the hard layer is approximately 10 xcexcm, particularly, from 5 to 10 xcexcm.
According to a preferred embodiment, the protective layer is transparent and the inner side of the muffle wall serves as a reflector. The configuration is advantageous, in particular, if cooking is carried out using thermal radiation in the infrared range or in the visible light range. Transparent layers of this nature can be formed as sol-gel layers without problems.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, there is also provided a functional sol-gel layer disposed on the hard sol-gel layer.
To further improve the use properties of the baking oven muffle, a functional sol-gel layer is provided on the hard sol-gel layer. As such, it is possible for different regions of the muffle walls to be provided with particular properties. The properties may, for example, include particularly simple cleaning, a special sliding characteristic, or catalytic properties. The functional layer is advantageously produced as a layer that is approximately 10 xcexcm thick, in particular, approximately 2 to 3 xcexcm thick. Due to the sol-gel technique used, the layers applied, despite their low thickness, exhibit a high level of stability and good adhesion both on one another and on the metal.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the functional sol-gel layer is made of different functional sol-gel layers that are disposed on different surface regions of the muffle walls.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the muffle is aluminum. If the baking oven muffle is made of aluminum, the protective layer may be produced as an anodized, in particular, hard-anodized, aluminum oxide layer. The oxide layer is distinguished, in particular, by its excellent hardness and smoothness.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, at least part of the muffle walls has an insulating protective layer, and the heating elements are applied to the insulating protective layer with thick-film technology.
Particularly good heat transfer from the heating element to the muffle wall or to the cooking chamber and excellent heat distribution in this respect can be achieved if the muffle wall has an insulating protective layer in the xcexcm range. The heating element is applied directly to the muffle wall by thick-film technology. If appropriate, the heating element may also be formed using more complex coating processes, for example, the thin-film technique.
In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the thickness of the muffle walls is approximately 0.3 to 0.5 mm, particularly, 0.4 mm.
Due to the thin protective layers, when the baking oven muffle is heated, there are only slight stresses produced in the baking oven muffle despite the different coefficients of thermal expansion of the protective layer and the muffle wall. Therefore, the thickness of the muffle wall can also be reduced to, for example, approximately 0.4 mm.
According to a preferred embodiment, the stabilizing frame is essentially formed by the baking oven insulation. On one hand, the insulation has to be sufficiently resilient to be able to follow the increase in volume of the baking oven muffle during heating, and, on the other hand, the insulation has to be sufficiently strong to be able to sufficiently stabilize the thin-walled baking oven muffle.
According to a concomitant embodiment, the baking oven muffle is supported from the outside by a stabilizing frame. Such stabilization is important, in particular, when the thickness of the muffle wall is only approximately 0.3 to 0.5 mm. The virtual halving of the wall thickness of the baking oven muffle compared to the prior art also considerably improves the heat-up times and the heat distribution. In addition, the small material thickness enables lowers and saves material costs. Moreover, the weight of the baking oven muffle is considerably reduced.
Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a baking oven with baking oven muffle, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.